by Nuke » Sun Mar 17, 2013 2:34 pm
You can avoid inkjet nozzles drying out by using it say once a week. Just print a test picture, that is what I do.
Guy made this suggestion too, but said it was wasteful. However the test picture does not have to be large (the CUPS test page perhaps) and if you are not printing very much anyway then the whole cartridge is likely to dry out before it runs out, even with test printing.
It also depends on the printer; I used to have an Epson which did a self-clean that seemed to blow out a teaspoonful of ink into a special receptacle every time it was turned on. Despite that the nozzles eventually clogged anyway. I now have an HP which does not do that. HP have the best support for Linux anyway.
In the case of HP printers, my cartridges time out on the date limit before they run out. I am currently still using a set which timed out a year ago but I did a hack that over-rode the timer and put two fingers up to HP - but that is another story.
Unsolved mysteries of the Universe, No 13 :-
How many remakes of Anna Karenina does the World need?